Remove double standards in tackling terror: Ajit Doval at BRICS

Sandeep Dikshit

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New Delhi, July 26

Frustrated by the inability of the UN Security Council to globally sanction known terrorists, India has proposed that BRICS should prepare a list of terrorists and their proxies under the UN counter-terrorism sanctions regime in order to keep the process of tackling terrorists free from “politics and double standards.”

Making the suggestion at the BRICS NSA’s conference, NSA Ajit Doval said the proposal would remove the involvement of politics or biased standards and ensure a fair and impartial approach to counter-terrorism measures within the BRICS nations.

The Delhi Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which was held virtually earlier this month, had also called for a unified list of terrorist, separatist and extremist organisations whose activities are prohibited on the territories of the SCO Member States.

Chairing the SCO virtual summit in the presence of Pakistan PM and the Chinese President, PM Modi had said, “There should be no place for double standards on such serious matters.”

China has repeatedly blocked a joint India-US proposal before a UN counter-terrorism sanctions regime to list Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Sajid Mir as an international terrorist. In May, China had rejected the attempt to list another Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) deputy chief, Abdul Rauf Azhar, as a terrorist.

Doval also underlined the need to be united to fortify cyber defences, foster international cooperation and build a resilient national cyber-infrastructure. Cyber-attacks know no borders and the linkage between cyber criminals and terrorists is an emerging concern, he added.

Meanwhile, the Iran media said Doval — in a meeting with Iranian NSA Ali-Akbar Ahmadian — assured that New Delhi would facilitate Iran’s accession to the BRICS.